Twelve Days
by Antonymic
Summary: COMPLETE Twelve days, twelve gifts. A nice thought isn't it? But Naruto's just wondering who's breaking into his apartment to do that.
1. Day 1 : Who broke into my apartment?

Hi! I'm actually on winter break now and I thought I'd try to while away the time creatively this year. This is "inspired" if you could call it that by "Twelve Days of Christmas" song. I had remembered it a few days ago and thought to myself -- Why not try to write a Christmas fic with a chapter a day until the 25th? So here's my first try at a multi-chapter fic. Hopefully I can keep my ideas flowing (which is why it's so difficult for me to start a multi-chapter normally).

Enjoy and tell me what you think. :)

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Naruto stared at the inside of his apartment in shock. He knew he had left in a hurry that morning but he could have sworn that the door was locked and the windows were shut tightly -- most definitely the windows. It was the middle of December in Konoha for Christ sake. The temperature was always near freezing at this time of the year; who would leave the windows open.

But there it was. Someone had broken into his humble apartment. But from what he could see, there was nothing out of place save the trash which was thrown out. Heck it even smelled pine fresh.

His one bedroom apartment was now sparkly clean and the few random empty ramen cups were gone from the counters. The oak coffee table was shiny and clean of months of dust and weeks of newspapers. He had been so busy working on this new promotion his company had for the holiday season; he would just come home, heat up one of the TV dinners he swore he would never touch and sleep, only to wake up and repeat the next day.

Naruto stepped back and closed the door with a loud snap and shook his head, hoping that it would clear the illusion in his head. A deep breath and he opened the door again…to the same image. A growl sounded under his breath as he marched into the room. He picked up his phone and dialed the number to his landlord, whom he had yet to meet as the previous one was bought out.

"Good evening Ooya-san," Naruto greeted when the person picked up. "I'm Uzumaki in 3B. I'm sorry to bother you but someone has broken into my apartment."

He nodded as he was talking, "No, it looks like nothing's missing. No, I have yet to call the police because of the oddity. Yeah, the oddest thing…the burglar cleaned my apartment and left me a Christmas gift. Mhmm. Okay then. I'll report anything missing to the police. Again, sorry to bother you. Good Night."

After taking a quick survey through his apartment, he determined that nothing was missing and decided to leave it be for now and take a quick shower. Grabbing sleeping pants from his room, he wandered into the bathroom; already his mind was far away from the mystery and back towards the final touches of the promo that he was in charge of.

***

The bathroom door opened and steam billowed out of the small room. Naruto stepped out, towel drying his hair as he wandered towards the kitchen. He paid no more attention to the Christmas gift in the corner of his living room as he poured a cup of water. A quick glance at the clock told him it was close to ten when the music started in the living room.

Strains of Christmas music from the local station played on the small radio he had in the living room. The hypnotic voice of the DJ was reading out the letter of the hour before the next song started. But Naruto didn't pay attention to any of that. He was still wondering about how the radio turned on.

Finally heading into the living room, he looked at the vibrant green Christmas tree in the corner decorated in shiny blue and gold tinsel and twinkling multi-colored fairy lights. The ornaments looked like they were hung with care and atop the very tip was a gold star. Below the boughs of the tree was a single gift wrapped in robin blue and nestled in the boughs was a single card. Padding over, towel draped over his shoulders, he reached out to take a look at the simple design on the card. Inside written in fine calligraphy was :

_Do you remember the song we used to sing together?_

_On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me~_

_Enjoy the first of many Naruto._

_

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_

So what do you think? It's not coming out exactly how I wanted it to, but I wanted to post it up by the 14th. Hopefully it'll get better as I keep writing.


	2. Day 2 : You're cooking for me too?

Here's the next chapter. I'm not too sure how it is. Trying to make it connect in a way and give some insight to the life of our dear blond. Maybe Itachi will show up soon too.

Enjoy~

Oh and I forgot this in the last chapter…oops.

**Disclaimer : ** I do not own Naruto. The credit goes solely to Kishimoto-sensei.

* * *

An alarm clock was blaring, trying to wake its owner. Out of dark blue covers, a hand reached up groping for the little plastic square that was being so noisy. The noise was muffled for a second as the hand covered the speaker before the clock went sailing across the room and hit the wall. But that didn't stop the clock from ringing. The man under the covers groaned, cursing his foster father for getting him an indestructible hunk of plastic.

"I'm up. I'm up," the man called out, rising from his comfortable bed. Running a hand through his tousled blond hair, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and lurched to the restroom to do his morning rituals. The alarm clock was silent.

The sun may have risen, but it couldn't peek through the thick gray clouds in the sky. Seeing the weather, he shuffled to get dressed and grabbed his overcoat with a hood instead of the usual bright monstrosity. Breakfast was toast and some old miso soup before he gathered his wallet, keys, and any other necessary items and left to go wait with the masses in the subway.

***

"Good morning Sakura~!" he cried out as he stepped off the elevator and onto the 8th floor of the high-rise.

The strawberry blonde only rolled her eyes at him. He would never change, she thought. "Morning Naruto. Shachou wants you in her office at 10:30 to discuss the progress of the promo. And just letting you know, Hyuuga just sent over a new file; they want you to be in-charge of it."

Blue eyes closed and a small grimace showed on his face. He nodded, "Gotcha. I'll deal with it."

Striding through the hallway, he ended up at his shared office with one of the weirdest guys he had ever had the privilege to know – Sumiiro Sai. They had met at their interviews for the company and had, for the lack of a better word, hit it off. They were both aiming for the spot in the commercial arts department and shockingly out of the eight other applicants, both were hired. Currently Naruto is the director of the department and Sai was the assistant director.

"Morning dickless," was the usual greeting.

"Smiles," Naruto greeted back. After years of interaction, Naruto learned to tone down his often very energetic reactions. It was needed after all to deal with the often exasperating clients who just had to meet with the director to dictate exactly what they wanted. Contrary to how the two started off, they were the best team in the department. Sai was the traditional artist, working with charcoal, paints, and various media while Naruto brought the digital aspect of it, working in Sai's work with creative uses of the modern technology.

"Hyuuga has another contract for us. And Baa-chan wants an update at 10:30," he told his partner. "Are we good with the current progress?"

Sai just had that odd smile on his face. "If we get the info from Deidara and the parts Suigetsu is working on by early afternoon, we're gonna be ahead of schedule. All that would be left is for you and your team to get everything digitized and into the system."

"Great," Naruto grinned. "Then assuming Suigetsu doesn't and hands it in early tomorrow, me and my team and get everything in by the following day, we'll be done by the end of the week. Then we can arrange that meeting for this Friday."

***

He had forgotten how annoying meetings were. There was a new client who just had to meet with the guy in charge of his commercial. It was always the new ones that were so annoying and wanting to dictate everything. He couldn't wait until the guy either decided to stick with them or leave as returning clients left everything in the capable hands of the department. Thankfully though today he got to leave before the rush hour and had managed to snag a seat on the rail instead of standing for the next thirty minutes. It allowed him to get off a stop before his and pick up some groceries and make dinner for the first time this week.

The brisk walk home was welcome exercise from being cooped up in an office for eight plus hours a day, but he was glad when he saw his apartment complex. It was still pretty cold without the forecasted snow. Saying hello to the few people heading home to their own apartments, he hustled up the stairs and opened the door to his apartment.

A look to the left. A look to the right. Naruto nodded emphatically. There was nothing new or weird in his apartment. The tree was still there as were the gifts and cards. Grinning he entered his apartment and shuffled on his house slippers. While whoever cleaned his apartment creeped him out, it was a wonderful thing as he could spend this weekend relaxing.

The kitchen and its utensils were clean! Which meant he could cook one of his favorite dishes : sweet pumpkin and peanut curry. Opening the fridge, he knelt down to start putting in the perishables when he caught sight of the extra bowls and dishes inside. There was even a note taped onto the rack.

_I saw that you were out of food. I made a few dishes. Hope they're to your liking._

Blue eyes widened in surprise and a small growl escaped his mouth. That weird stalker-burglar was back. He didn't know whether or not to eat the food or to throw it away. Pulling out the dishes, he found tempura, yakizakana, some vegetables, tsukemono, miso soup and rice. His face pulled into a frown.

_I should throw this away…._ He moved to empty the dishes and paused. B_ut someone spent the time to make this._ The plates were set down. _What if it's poisoned?_ He paced the kitchen floor for several minutes muttering quietly as he went. With a decisive turn he shoved the dishes into the microwave and waited for the food to reheat. "Iruka would kill me if he found out I threw out perfectly good food," he nodded sharply as if that would make the decision for him and justify if he fell down dead after eating.

While the food heated, he placed his groceries into the fridge and pulled out a pair of chopsticks. The food was taken to the coffee table in the living room and the small TV was turned on to the local news channel.

"Itadakimasu."

***

The dishes were washed and placed in a plastic bag and put into the fridge. Taped to the bag was a note of thanks. Before Naruto decided to go shower and sleep, he took a quick look at the Christmas tree and found another gift underneath, this time wrapped in bright red and a yellow bow. Another card was found in the limbs as well.

_On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me~_

_Hope you enjoyed your dinner Naruto._

_I know how much you miss home._

***

The apartment was quiet and as usual empty this time of day when he entered. Another gift was in his hands and a card was taped to it as well. Setting those down, the man walked to the fridge to see if the food was eaten at all. It was to no surprise that the food was gone as he knew Naruto had lived without food before. But what surprised him was the note taped onto the bag holding the dishes.

_Thank you for the food. It was delicious; however, the vegetable tempura needs a little more work. _

_

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_

Some cultural terms you may not know : **yakizakana **is grilled fish and **tsukemomo **is Japanese pickles.

Hope you enjoyed this installment. Something came up for tomorrow….and I'm wondering if I can get the next chapter up in time. I'm not going to be defeated!! I will try my hardest to get it up tomorrow night….if not…then well, two will be up on Friday.

Thank you for all the alerts and for those who reviewed. If anyone has any suggestions as to what the gifts should be, both the ones Naruto finds and the ones that are wrapped up, feel free to tell me. I need some more ideas especially when my own muses shoot down each others.


	3. Day 3 : What's with the flowers?

I don't know how many of you read the little things I put at the top and bottom, so I'll mention the important one here...

Any critique is welcome as I'm still a developing writer. Even if it's to point out grammar, spelling, or even plot holes. ~_~;;

Anyways...Here's chapter three. Enjoy!

* * *

The newest gift sat underneath the twinkling Christmas tree wrapped in shiny purple with silver stars. Another card was also in the branches as well when he walked through the door the next night. The appearance of the gifts were not as astonishing as what was usually left as a surprise. Naruto was almost looking forward to finding his newest surprise hidden away in his apartment. But first, he had to drop off his things from work and take a quick shower. He had promised to meet Iruka for dinner before he left for his trip.

He owed Iruka a debt he could never repay. Before Iruka, he was passed from foster home to foster home since he was eleven. He never stayed with a family for more than a few months. It made the holidays tough for the family and it deadened the blonde to the joys of the season. By the time he was sixteen, the distant memories of laughter and presents had faded into a dream-like quality.

He had never enjoyed the holidays even when his parents were alive. They were also so busy, especially after his father lost his job – it was hard on the whole family. Even after his father found another job with a much reduced pay, his mother was still working at her job, and when the holidays rolled around and they had a break, they spent it catching up on work, puttering around the house, and whatnot , but just too busy to take time out for their young son.

When he had landed with Iruka, he had rebelled violently, wanting with all hope that this man would be the last and the government would see fit to have him emancipated at sixteen. To say the least, his acts did not work; it had even landed him in the hospital the very last time he tried. According to the nurses, he had been unresponsive for nearly three days and that his guardian was there the whole time. Naruto still has never told Iruka that he had seen him lying at his side, holding his hand in worry, when he had awoken in the pre-dawn hours. The blonde hadn't believed that someone would be there by his side for anything.

***

The restaurant they were meeting at was a favorite of theirs. It couldn't really be call much of a restaurant, but it was theirs. That was where they both found their first connection in the holy food called ramen.

Ichiraku was a small shop nearly hidden by the shiner and newer stores in front. It was a bit run down and worn, but it was homey and the father-daughter combo was thoughtful and kind.

The doors were slid open revealing an olive-toned man with chocolate brown hair tied up in a pony-tail. His eyes scanned over the establishment looking for one person in particular.

"Konbanwa Iruka-san," greeted Teuchi the owner. "Naruto-kun isn't here yet. Have a seat and wait a bit; your table is open."

Iruka nodded and walked in, heading towards the back booth. "Evening Teuchi-san. How have you been?"

"Good. A few of your colleagues came by the other night. Said you recommended us as the best ramen place in town."

The polite conversation carried on for a few more minutes before the door slid open again and Naruto bounded inside, his open jacket flapping in the wind.

"Hi Teuchi-san. Business is doing well?"

Teuchi nodded, "Iruka's there."

The blonde hustled to the booth and wrapped his foster father in a hug when he stood to greet him.

"Glad to see you too Naruto." He pulled Naruto back to arms length and looked at his foster son. "You haven't been eating well at all. You've thinned, though that gives your face a more angular rugged look."

"Been busy 'Ruka-tou-san. With the holiday season, people have plenty of commercials and such to do and Baa-chan's company is highly recommended."

The two sat down in the booth and continued to catch up until Teuchi brought their usual orders of ramen, miso chashu for Naruto and shoyu ramen for Iruka. He also set down a plate of gyoza and a bottle of warm sake and two saucers.

"Itadakimasu" they chorused.

***

When dinner had finished, the two sat and chatted, catching up with their busy lives. Naruto had moved out when he turned twenty-one and found the job with Tsunade. As their dinner was winding to a close, Naruto was wondering if he should confide with Iruka about his weird stalker-burglar. He could only imagine the reaction his over-protective foster father would have. He shook his head with a slight smile on his face.

"Have a good flight Iruka-tou-san. I have an early day tomorrow and I will see you when you get back okay? Good night." With a final hug, the two departed and bid farewell to Ichiraku until the next time.

***

The bus ride home was quiet, though the odd chatter did puncture it at points. The walk home was much quieter as the folks rushing home were already safely ensconced in their warm homes with family at their side.

The inside of his apartment was still as empty as before, but it seemed to have gained a faint tinge of home. A quick sweep of his apartment didn't bring any oddities to front like his other gifts had. Naruto's face drooped slightly in disappointment before he shook his head. _It's a good thing. That means no odd surprises…though he still broke in._

To assuage his lingering curiosity, he walked over to the tree and picked up the newest card and read the neatly written message.

_On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…_

_You may not notice it now or even tomorrow_

_But in a while, you recognize the bittersweet memories_

Naruto blinked and reread the message. He still didn't understand what the message meant. Replacing the card, he went to the restroom to finish his nightly rituals and strode to his room, stripping out of his day clothes as he entered. As he dropped off the clothes onto the dresser he had, he noticed a pot illuminated by the moonlight on the edge of the counter. There was a cloying scent of almond vanilla wafting through the room, but the strongest came from around the plant. The white petals were open as though welcoming the soft touch of the moon and the gentle song of the night. Tied at the rim of the pot were a ribbon and a note.

_Night Phlox. Midnight Candy._

_How forbidden and sweet._

_I remembered the white glow of your hair as you ran about the field._

_The glimmering blue jewels and a sunbright smile._

_You grabbed an armful and called them your favorite._

_There is a window planter for the living room window. The seeds are attached on the side. Take your pick of what you want. _

Naruto set down the note and closed his eyes, but not before the light of the moon showed a glimmer in his eyes. Leaning down, he took in a giant whiff of the scent and remembered better times. The tears he had hidden behind escaped and trailed down his face.

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Night Phlox is a night blooming flower who's scent is like almond or vanilla. It's also called Midnight Candy too.

I couldn't get this up on Wednesday so in a way I failed my own challenge. But hopefully I'll be all caught up this weekend. I forgot how big Disney was and almost forgot Thursday was my Mom's birthday...so spent the day cooking and baking away in the kitchen.


	4. Day 4 : Secrets, Harbors, and Kimonos

Yay! I somehow managed to get two chapters out today! And am only one chapter shy of being caught up. I finished Wednesday's and Thursday's chapter...but couldn't do today's. Let's hope I can get it out tomorrow with Saturday's chapter as well.

Enjoy~!

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While Naruto was a hard worker normally, the next day when he arrived at work, he was like a demon possessed. He pushed his team to digitize everything for the current project and get it uploaded and edited. Everyone in the department could not understand why the blonde was like that. They knew it should be finished today with final check tomorrow for the meeting, but Naruto was so out of character. He harassed them, pushed them, and finally snapped at a new pair of interns when something went wrong.

"What do you think you're doing?" he shouted. "This is your fourth project since working here and you decide to mess up on the biggest one for this season!"

The two interns were nearly huddled in their seats, clinging to each other in fear. The blonde mentor was never like this. Even with mistakes he had always taken the time to tell them what went wrong and why. Their eyes strayed to the door where Sakura was standing along with their boss who had come to see what all the ruckus was about.

When the blonde took a breath, Tsunade stepped in. "Uzumaki, my office now," she barked out.

The blonde man stopped and stared as if he just noticed his reaction and actions for the past hour or so. Staring at the still cowering interns, he took a deep breath and apologized before walking to Tsunade's office, the door slamming shut.

"What's wrong brat? You're normally very patient with the newbies."

"Nothing's wrong Shachou," he said, not looking into the concerned amber eyes.

The blonde snorted disbelief evident on her face. "You are never respectful when it's just the two of us brat. Only time you ever try to is with clients. Has something happened?"

Naruto finally looked up. He knew his cousin meant well, even though they had just found each other, they were family. He broke down and told his cousin everything that had happened when he arrived home and ending with the gift from last night. Before last night, the gifts were just something weird though oddly nice, but last night brought to fore the memories he had suppressed for a long time since his once loving parents were sucked into working and became distant and then died in that accident.

"Ah brat," she sighed and stood. Before the young man knew it, he was wrapped up in a tight hug. His eyes squinted shut. "Whoever this is most likely means no harm as you know yourself. It's just making you come to face the past. Go relax for now. Sai can finish off the project and you can review it tomorrow."

Naruto swiped at his eyes quickly. "That's okay baa-chan. I'm fine." He gave her a quick squeeze. "I'll head back to work now."

Tsunade only nodded, watching the door close with a sad look. Once it was closed shut however, her face turned into a scowl that could have removed the paint on the walls. _That little brat!_

***

A slender figure walked out of an open door, towel wrapped around his waist. The ringing phone was picked up. Nothing was said for a good moment as the phone was pulled away from his ear. The angry shouting could be heard from the speaker.

"What are you playing at Uchiha Itachi? Do you know how he showed up today?"

"Why good evening Tsunade."

"Don't you dare 'why evening' me you little brat."

"Then do not shout Tsunade. Calm down a moment and tell me what's ruffled your irritable feathers."

There was silence as the woman on the line calmed and started talking. Itachi was listening placidly as he pulled clothes out of the closet.

"I understand. He is out for now correct? Good. Then good night."

Itachi stood, having changed, and stared momentarily outside the window, eyes staring but not seeing. "How did you change so much?" he murmured before heading out of his apartment, several items in hand.

***

Naruto stumbled home late that night. Sai along with a few others in the department had dragged him off after work saying he had to relax. They had dragged him to a karaoke bar and slowly through the night, plied him with alcohol until he begged off and headed back to his apartment. He dreaded going home that night though. He did not want to see another gift that would bring back any sad memories about his parents. Naruto had thought that as time went on, he would be more accepting, but apparently not.

The door to his apartment swung open and a quick glance at the tree told him his visitor had dropped by. He still didn't know how that guy entered, but figured changing the locks would be too much of a hassle to tell his landlord during this busy holiday season. Shuffling to the restroom, he showered and walked into his room, towel wrapped around his waist and one drying his hair. Picking up his sleeping pants on his bed, he felt a box underneath and turned on the lights.

On the bed was one of those boxes where clothes were usually placed in and a note was once again taped to the box.

_I am sorry that I caused you any heartache over the flowers. It had reminded me of you during happier times, as does this gift. It reminded me of you._

Opening the box, he found a pale silver-blue kimono with juban, hakama, and a haori. On the back of the kimono was an intricate design featuring a harbor, the waves, and wind. There was even a small whirlpool woven in. Naruto didn't know what to do. On one hand, he wanted to return this to that person, on another he wanted to keep it and cherish it. He knew that man had picked that design on purpose. From the previous gifts, he knew the man was not fickle and picked carefully. He didn't know what to do. Setting the gifts back in its box, he wandered to the living room and picked up the card.

_On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…_

_The holidays are a time of love and forgiveness. _

_Don't hold your parents up to contempt. After all, you are their son, and it is just possible that you may take after them._

_

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_

So this ends on an odd note (or is it just me?).

I'd like to hear of what you guys think of the plot so far and of how this is going. But any critique is welcome. It makes me adjust and allows my writing to evolve. I can do one-shots and drabbles, but it's the multi-chapters that I have difficulty with, so I'd be glad to get any comments.

Hope you guys enjoyed this and now its off to plot out a bit more of this story so I can start wracking my brain on the next chapter.

Oh by the way...by cousin, it's more of first cousin twice removed for Tsunade. So for those who get confused at those terms like I was before, it means that Tsunade is the first cousin of Naruto's grandfather and that there is a two generation gap between them.


	5. Day 5 : Trees, Pictures, and Words

Wow. I forgot how hard it is to catch up once you fall behind. But I will do it. No matter what, I will get 12 chapters up by Christmas Day/Night!

Next one is going to be up in a few hours...as soon as I type it up and edit it. Then its two left before I'm back on track!

Enjoy this one and review!

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There was a note taped to his front door when he arrived at his apartment that night. Naruto was puzzled with the change, already assuming it was from his mysterious gift giver. He still didn't know what to think of the man who seemed to know him. He could barely remember the people he used to live around with when his parents were alive. He pulled the note from the door and opened it.

Apparently the front office received a package for him and he was to stop by before the office closed for the night to pick it up. Wandering back down four flights of stairs, he entered the nicely furnished office and approached the counter. It was surprisingly empty of the usual receptionist and of anyone else as well. Looking around, he decided to go knock on the door in the back. It was the owner's office. A muffled voice called out for him to enter.

Inside the office was a person with long raven black hair that looked like it was tied back and wearing a neatly pressed dress shirt.

"Good evening. I was told to come here to pick up my package."

The person looked up, a pair of silver rimmed glasses framed dark eyes. A faint spark of recognition showed but Naruto passed it off as a glare on the glasses. He didn't recognize the man, but it had to be the ever elusive landlord.

"Hello. And you are?" he questioned, setting down the glasses and pushing back his chair, revealing a trim body clad in what had to be tailored clothes. He gestured for Naruto to follow and walked over to a small pile of oversized packages in the back corner of the front room.

Naruto gave a small bow as he introduced himself, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto in flat 3B. Please take care of me."

The man nodded as he looked through the pile. "Well I'm Uchiha Itachi. As you probably know, I'm your new landlord. I'm normally in the office at least twice a week, other times any daytime inquires go to the receptionist."

He picked up a medium shaped box and handed it to the blonde. "Right. Here's the package. Though out of curiosity, who do you know from the states?"

"Oh!" Naruto looked down at the box in his hand and caught sight of the return address. "That would be my cousins. My aunt has been overseas since she was young. Apparently she met the father of her children there."

Itachi nodded. "If that is all Uzumaki-san…" the man trailed off.

"Yep. Good night then Uchiha-san."

"Good night," he replied, watching the blonde head towards the main doors. "A final word Uzumaki-san," he called out. The blonde turned and looked, question written on his face. "Are you still getting those gifts?"

"Yes. Though I still don't know what to think about them, but I'm not worried for now. Thank you for remembering Uchiha-san. Happy Holidays." And the blonde left; the solid doors closing with barely a sound.

_Happy holidays indeed._

***

Naruto hummed some holiday song as he practically skipped up the stairs. His cousins, the Sabakus, sent him his Christmas gift. He was glad to have found more of his family, though how he found them was rather annoying. A few years ago when he was still in high school, one of his classes had him do a family tree and required that it date as far back as his great-grandparents, if possible. Even when Naruto stayed after class to tell him that he didn't know his family and could not reach anywhere past his parents, the man had the audacity to tell him he still had to do it. His exact words were something like "You didn't come from a rock. With the internet, you could find out about your family." And practically then kicked him out of the room.

As far as Naruto knew, he had some aunt and uncles from his parents, but had never heard from them. Most of the things his parents had in the house had burned with it that one holiday and his parents in that horrific accident on the highway on their way to the hospital. So essentially he was alone in this world and his stupid teacher wanted a family tree.

Naruto spent the next week and a half in the school library searching online and through some odd genealogy websites. Finally, with only a few days left before the project was due, he received an e-mail saying that they had an uncle by the name of Namikaze Minato. That started a massive e-mail chain to confirm and ask for more information. By the time the project was due, Naruto managed to get all the way up to his great-grandfather and great-granduncle, though any offspring aside from the direct line was blank. The rest as they say was history.

Naruto bounded into his apartment once the door was opened and set down his package on the kitchen counter and opened it with joy. Inside and underneath the packing peanuts were four gifts, one from his aunt and the others from his cousin. There was even a card with a picture of a surfing Santa – that he added to the tree along with the other five and placed his gifts under the tree. He picked up the new card and read the message inside.

_On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…_

_A picture is worth a thousand words._

_But even then it's not enough to describe you._

***

On the coffee table was a metal tree and in it branches dangled little square ornaments. A closer looked showed the ornaments were actually photo frames and in six of them were pictures of his family : his mom, his dad, Iruka, himself, a photo of him and Iruka eating ramen and a small photo of him and his parents in front of a Christmas tree.

* * *

Hmm...I don't think I have anything cultural to explain... Oh wait! For those who don't know or whatever, when Naruto says "Please take care of me," it's the translation of "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." That's what is said when you first meet someone.

That's about it for now. Review please. :D


	6. Day 6 : Photos, Friends, and Food

Next one is up! A little more goes on...people are introduced. And I gotta say again...it's so easy to fall behind. And its hard to write out these chapters. I don't really know what's gonna go next on the page until it gets written down. Like the Itachi is landlord thing, that just happened. Anyways...enough rambling.

Enjoy this chapter! :)

* * *

The ringing phone was picked up by the youngest living in the modest one story house in the suburbs in the northern Copper State.

"Sabakuno residence."

There was no response for the longest time from the redhead on the phone. He would nod imperceptibly every once in a while, not that the person on the other line could see. Finally, the silence was broken and his siblings that walked in to see him standing with the phone in hand blinked.

"We'll be there the Wednesday of as long as you have room for the three of us."

His siblings looked at him questioningly. "Where are we going Gaara?"

"Konoha."

***

The project was set in stone as of yesterday afternoon and it would be seen all around by this morning. The blonde was practically giddy as he woke up to the afternoon sun. He normally didn't sleep in this late but it was his first weekend since that project started. Thankfully the Hyuuga project didn't need to be done until two weeks after the holidays. He would have even given his people Monday off, if they didn't have one or two small projects due before Christmas.

Entering his kitchen, he took a quick look in his fridge to see what he had left and if he needed to pick up any groceries. Naruto pulled out some marinated chicken and lettuce, red and green bell peppers, green onions and other herbs and spices, deciding on making a chicken salad. And on afterthought, some soba noodles for a small helping of yakisoba.

He stir-fried the chicken with some extra seasoning before letting it cool and tearing it into strips. Rinsing the lettuce and veggies, he chopped them and set them on a plate followed by the chicken strips and the sauce he made while the chicken cooled. With the remaining veggies and chicken, he tossed it into the yakisoba and finished it off with his personalized sauce.

Setting the food on a TV tray, he moved over to the computer space he had set up in the living room and caught up on his e-mail. Some were from work acquaintances with invitations to holiday gatherings, others were from clients inviting him, and others were from old friends he kept in touch with. Responding to the ones deemed important, he tabled them onto his calendar to send reminders and finished off his lunch watching some anime Sai told him to watch.

Naruto was startled out of an awesome fight scene when knocking came to his door. Pausing the clip, he muttered to himself about interrupting a good fight and opened the door to find Hinata, Neji, Shino, and Choji at his doorstep. Somehow from his spot less than a foot away, he managed to get enough lift and speed to tackle hug Neji and Shino while the other two missed by a hairsbreadth. The trio landed with a loud woof of displaced air while Naruto nuzzled between the two's necks. An amused look was passed between them as Choji lent a hand to the fallen.

"It's good to see you too Naruto," the big man said as he pulled the blonde up who in turn gave the man a good ole punch in the arm. "Good to see you too Choji."

***

They migrated inside the house and Naruto puttered in the kitchen getting drinks for the four of them.

"I have this new tea from Rice. Iruka gave it to me when he came back from his trip there last month," he said as he set down ceramic cups in front of them all.

The four took their time to look around. It had become a yearly ritual to drop by the blonde's apartment to keep him from being too down during the season as bad memories came to front. It had started in their first year in college (second for Neji) when Choji and Shino were roommates with the loud blonde and Hinata was seeing Shino. And being the responsible cousin Neji was, he had chaperoned the first few dates and met the others too. They were so used to seeing the blonde's vibrant grin and his do-or-die attitude that they never wondered how he would be during the holidays. But when the bright boy suddenly seemed to be quiet and depressed, even the room with its bright decorations seemed to dull down as well, they knew something was wrong. So in the usual fashion, they took the unsuspecting boy out and plied him with unending alcohol, they kept refilling his cup when he didn't notice and by the end of the night, he had poured his heart out about the seasons.

But for the first time, it seemed as though the blonde was celebrating the holidays. While he received presents, they were always piled in a corner, but this year he even had a tree up and decorated it. Keeping with small talk, they updated each other on the simple things and decided to go out for dinner at one of Choji's family's restaurant.

***

During dinner, the question finally came up. We won't mention who asked, but they all fell victim to Naruto's sad-innocent-wide-eyed-puppy look of surprise. Three pairs of eyes glared at one.

"It's nothing. Decided to put one up this year."

Hinata was watching his eyes as he spoke, "That's not it is it Naruto," she whispered.

The blonde had a wry smile as he looked at the only female in the group. "You always did know me so well." He looked down at his hands.

"Someone, I dunno who, has been dropping off various gifts. They even set up the tree. There's a gift under the tree and one for me to find. I think I used to know them…before that happened. It seems like it. They leave me notes and their gifts…the gifts always hint at the past.

"But I don't remember anything! There has always been a little, like the foods and the gardening… But… The gifts, they're bringing back more. And I don't know if I want to remember or if I'm ready." The blonde looked very stressed. His hair was more frizzled than usual with his hand running through it every few moments.

A hand rubbed his back firmly but softly and he relaxed. A great sigh filled the silence. "But, really, I'm…happy about the time and thought this person put into this."

The four let the silence sit some more, letting the revelation sink in. and when it did, Naruto's eyes widened before returning to normal.

"Come on Naruto, let's head back up. We'll drop off our gifts and make plans the next get-together. What do you think of trying that new restaurant that's supposed to open down on Kaeru Street?" Neji tossed in as they exited the restaurant.

***

Christmas music was playing softly in the apartment when they walked in. The fairy lights were plugged in as well and underneath reflecting the twinkling lights was another gift. Shino walked over to it and picked it up. It wasn't big or heavy and it was wrapped in the orange that Naruto liked.

"The card…"

Naruto walked behind and plucked the classic greeting card.

_On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…_

_Time goes by and changes are everywhere._

_Forget not those who are always there_

_In the shadows and in the light_

Hinata walked up behind the blonde followed by Neji and Choji. In her hands was a heavy black album sewn in silver. Embroidered on it were the words _Cherish, Dream, Live_. On the first page was a large photo. Dead center of it was the Namikaze family with baby Naruto surrounded by relatives from both sides with hair colors across the rainbow. Underneath, in the calligraphy of his gift giver were the words : _In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future._

_

* * *

_

And...it's finished. Hmm...nothing cultural this time. Any questions, comments, praises or even complaints...click the button right below and drop me a line.


	7. Day 7 : Family, Emails, and Eggs

Another chappie! Two in one day! I am getting there. I'll be doing jury duty tomorrow, so in the lull before and if I even get called in, I'll be handwriting the next chapters and hopefully when I get home I'll get them all typed up and be back on track!!

* * *

Naruto didn't have much planned for Sunday after all it was the day before Monday when he had to go back to work. Not that he hated work, but it was the idea all the same. So dressing and fixing up a quick breakfast, he gathered his supplies and went to the nearest park to do his weekly exercise. He had missed the early bus, but managed to get to the park before eleven and started stretching out waiting for his workout buddy Kiba.

Naruto used to go to a local gym, but it got repetitive running in the track or the treadmills, so he started out in the park and met Inuzuka Kiba. It was by chance that they were running next to each other and out of boredom, Naruto started talking to the brunette. Since then they made it a weekly thing to run together before catching lunch. There was the man now; the tattoos on his face making him stand out.

***

The run was a good break and a really good thing to stretch out with after a week in the office. The café they normally went to was busy but they had kept their usual table open and the two were able to be seated rather quickly. Naruto watched the diners order and eat. He watched some harried mother rush out of the diner only to narrowly avoid the waitress with a try of drinks. Their conversation was the usual mumble jumble, man boasting, gloating, and ribbing. But apparently Kiba-kun there let it slip that he had his eye on a little blossom that Naruto knew. Lunch ended and they parted with a punch and a "See you next week."

***

A quick jaunt to the nearby grocery store, Naruto headed home with the ingredients for dinner. He had promised Iruka that he would reply to his e-mail every Sunday and he had done it without fail since he started working. He looked forward to it as much as he did talking to his foster father.

His father had a lot to say already and it was solely his rant about his business partner who was an "uninhibited pervert of the utmost levels and has descended past all redeemable levels!" Naruto could only laugh to himself as he read the letter. He knew there was more going on, but left it be. The rest of the letter contained snippets about the landscape and the various side trips he did when work finished. His father had even attached some photos. He clicked reply and started to answer his father. When he finished, he got ready for dinner and washed up the vegetables and seasoned the meat. Realizing that he was missing short two eggs, he turned off the fire and darted out the door, hoping one of his neighbors would be home and have eggs on hand.

***

Naruto bounded up the stairs back towards his apartment. He was lucky Aizawa-san on the second floor was home. She was preparing this foreign pudding for her office Christmas party and had plenty of eggs on hand. Though she did make him stay to try some and also slipped her number into his pocket as he found out later.

The door to his apartment was unlocked as he entered. He couldn't remember for the life of him if he even locked it going out, but he was glad as he didn't bring his keys. Finishing up the preparations for his fried rice, he let the rice heat and dry up a bit before he cracked in the eggs and added the toppings. He wanted to hurry. He had bet with Sai that he would finish the first forty episodes; he was on episode 35 already.

Sitting in front of his computer, he opened the player and had it continue off from yesterday. Part way through though, his e-mail program popped up an alert. That's what he got for just hibernating the computer. Turns out he had several new e-mails, though they were from people he didn't recognize. He clicked the newest one from an twenty_one6(at)yahoo(dot)com. There wasn't much of a message, just a few lines and an attached document.

_A word to the wise in the midst of a harried holiday season._

_Family is the most ironic gift to be given. Both a blessing and an annoyance._

_But cherish them for when they're gone, it will be too late._

The words held a familiar note; the voice of counsel and of the past. The blonde spun around and looked at the tree in the corner. There, under the branches was another gift and in its branches was yet another card.

_On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me…_

_By blood or by time. Family comes in all different kinds. _

_Through trials and laughter, behind you they stand._

The e-mail attachment contained the contact info of various people claimed to be his relatives or old family friends by the looks of the last names. The other e-mails he received were from those same e-mails listed. The blonde stared at the names. He blinked and shut down the computer.

* * *

Don't have much to say for this but...this is short! At least slightly compared to the last couple chapters. I'm not that happy with this chapter and it seems kind of thrown together; but I called that on it being the end of the week (for Naru anyways).

Thanks for all the alerts and a BIG THANKS to those who reviewed. It's always appreciated knowing people like this.


	8. Day 8 : Cereal, Milk, and Spilled Book

Hmmm...I really didn't know how to get this chapter out. I wanted to give some reaction of Naruto's to the e-mails... anyways...

Read, Enjoy (or don't), and Review.

* * *

Naruto went to work the next day oddly quiet. The team didn't really know what to think of it; on one hand, he was working and not snapping like last time, on the other, he was quiet and that was about as far from Naruto-like you could get. But by lunchtime he was back to normal so that the little underlings didn't worry anymore and chalked it up to an off morning.

***

Naruto was busting his brain over whether or not he should even reply to those people. He had taken a look at one or five of those e-mails last night when he tried to sleep and failed. Every one of those sounded so friendly, so warm. He didn't even remember any of them from vague childhood memories. One or two of them even referenced a picture he had in the photo album. It sounded like they were all in on this, but it couldn't be. They all could have contacted him before he even went into the system. He could have been with family.

He even cornered Tsunade and asked her about these people. Hell anything she knew about the family. All he got in return was a simple family tree telling how the two of them were related and that he had two other second cousins. It turned out that her father fell out of favor with the family when he caused a scandal and it turned out he had a mistress on the side. Though she did point out the name Sarutobi, saying her old professor went by that name.

Deciding to knock off early, he wandered to a café near his apartment complex and sat there people watching for a good hour or two; his mind running around. Could it be possible that someone in the passing crowd in front, on the bus, or even in the café was related to him? Could they know his parents? He didn't understand why no one took him in. He could understand Gaara's family as they were overseas. But didn't he have another uncle? What about his mother's side? He didn't know much. He was never as curious as to why he had no family. He had assumed as he grew up, passing from one family to the next, that he had none.

_Naruto-kun,_ one of the e-mails read.

_You probably don't know me but my name is Yuhi Kurenai and my husband is Sarutobi Asuma. We were old college buddies with your parents. The last time we saw you was probably the year the accident occurred, I'm sorry to say. _

It continued much along the same thread. Some of the others were the same. The one that surprised him the most was the one from Uchiha-san's family. Apparently Uchiha Mikoto was very good friends with his mother since childhood.

***

The sky was fully dark by the time Naruto stood to leave the café. It was a good thing he knew the manager, Tenten, otherwise he probably would have been kicked out long ago for only ordering a coffee and sandwich hours ago. Traipsing up the flight of stairs, he opened his door and just dropped his stuff on the couch before powering up his computer. He had left two e-mails untouched. Once those were done, he showered and went to sleep. He didn't want to do anything at all.

He ignored the new wrapped gift and the new card. He didn't care for it at all.

THE END!!!!!!!!!!!

The next morning Naruto wandered into the kitchen, tired from a restless night. Pulling open the fridge he pulled out milk and grabbed the box of cereal from the top. Setting it down of the counter, he heard a loud plop as something fell from the counter. Blinking in surprise he looked over and saw a simple cloth cover binder lying face down. He didn't remember ever having one like that. It looked kind of worn too.

Picking it up, he flipped it over and read the cover : _The Super Yummy Recipes of the Great Chef Uzumaki Kushina_.

The blonde blinked repeatedly. His mother's recipe book? He never knew she even cooked. Opening the book, he looked at the first recipe; it was written by hand and was rather sloppy. The date at the top corner indicated it was nearly forty years old. He turned through several pages finding recipes for soups, desserts, entrees, appetizers, and even some odd delicacies. There was a note stuck between some pages in near the back.

_Do vegetarians eat animal crackers? (signed) Minato_

The note turned out to be written on the back of a photo. It had his father dressed as an Animal Cracker box, and tugging on his arms at the side was his laughing mother, red hair braided and dressed as Raggedy Ann.

At the end of the binder, a slip of paper was inserted and on it the hand of the giver. _What's your favorite recipe? I like the simplicity of the steamed scallop with ginger.  
_

Naruto set the folder down and jotted down one recipe before finishing breakfast and getting ready for work. The folder was placed carefully on the coffee table and with a final glance, the door shut behind him.

_On the eight day of Christmas my true love gave to me…_

_Eat, drink, be happy._

_You're much more alike than you think._

_

* * *

_

I like giving little insights about Naruto's parents; however, made up they may be.

We know them as busy workaholics (hopefully I got that through), but hopefully these chapters are also giving you a different side to them.


	9. Day 9 : Where do you get these?

Getting there! I'm almost done with Day 10 and Day 11 is chatting with my muse to iron out their contract.

I'll leave off here and let you guys read. Back to work with me!

* * *

Naruto was many things. He was loud, vivacious, and caring given how he grew up. Many others would have turned out differently. He was also oddly perceptive about many things but nothing about himself unless he took time to sit and write it down to analyze. He noticed that there was more than meets the eye about Deidara and his pyromaniac tendencies; he could tell that there was more than a tough life that made Karin act the way she did. But he never understood his own circumstances.

Sai had watched the blonde since they met at the interview. Something about the blonde just caught his attention and it wasn't the hair. Even Sai's own stunted emotional growth could tell the blonde was bothered by something. But the blonde was able to hide it well even amongst all the loud holiday cheer of the office party.

The small tree was in the corner of the lounge and underneath it were several wrapped gifts from the employees for tonight's white elephant exchange. You could almost tell who brought what gift by the wrapping paper, unless it was wrapped at a store. The oddest shaped one was wrapped in a loud fire-engine red with blue swirls – it practically screamed Naruto.

***

The blonde had fun at the office party. He watched several of the more shuttered interns and rare employee get tipsy or even plastered on the eggnog and spiked punch courtesy of Suigetsu who had worked at a bar during his college years. He still had people he kept in touch with. Only when Sakura's date accidentally grabbed the spiked punch did the party end as he started flailing around, challenging anyone who even looked at him funny. As it was, whenever he sobered up, he would have to pay for the coffee maker and the microwave, as well as the broken window.

But the best thing about the party…it made him forget about the hauntingly familiar gifts that kept reminding him of his parents. Made him think of the times before he father lost his job; made him drag up faint memories of joy and laughter. But it made him realize that, though he had no blood family growing up, he managed quite well, finding family in his foster father, his few schoolmates, his co-workers, and his friends.

The blonde smiled into his muffler as he pulled his coat a bit closer. This winter seemed to be the coldest yet.

***

The apartment door swung open with nary a creak and he stood for a moment in the doorway staring at the twinkling Christmas tree with its gifts underneath. There was a new one tonight along with a new card. Naruto had stopped being surprised by finding the gifts, but he still wondered how the person got in. Was it through the locked front door, the shut windows on the fourth floor, or even more magically, does he phase through walls or go down the nonexistent chimney?

Naruto walked in and shut the door, locking it as he switched to house shoes and hung up his coat behind the door. A quick shower and a glass of water later had him walking into his room with another glass and a bottle of pain relievers, just in case he woke up with a headache. Alcohol had that way with him whether or not he drank past being buzzed just a bit. He would either wake up with a horrible headache or be fine, but if it was the former, he'd rather have the medicine ready than to fumble through the cabinet for them later.

And lo and behold, there lying on his bed was one of those clothes boxes again. But this time it was much smaller, probably about half the size of the one that held the kimono, which was still in its box and placed in the bottom of his drawers. This time, the note was simple and pinned to the warm looking jacket.

_Though not the original, it was your father's favorite for the cold season._

He pulled out the jacket with knit sleeves. The jacket body was darker than the sleeves and had those really cool pockets littered around which Naruto spent some time finding, like the one on the inside that would hold your mp3 player of that hidden one by the seam that would hold thin glasses, not those modern plastic ones, and there was even a pocket within a pocket! Naruto was practically vibrating with excitement at the jacket. There was probably one he couldn't even find yet! Setting it down, Naruto picked up the note instead. _His father huh?_

_On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…_

_It's warm for the recent cold._

_And you'll need it later too._

Not that Naruto read the Christmas card at all…

* * *

Here ends the (late) Day 9! Think family's going out to dinner in a bit, so I'll post up Day 10 when I get back. And hopefully Day 11 before midnight PST.

And if I can manage any earlier (or feel like not sleeping) you'll get Day 12 Christmas Day!


	10. Day 10 : Where are you taking me?

Two more to go! One for Day 11 (TODAY) and one for Day 12 (TOMORROW)!

Hope you like this one!

* * *

Work today was slow. Even Tsunade was out. She reminded everyone that tomorrow or rather today was just to be a half day and they were free until the following Monday. Everyone cheered loudly at the Christmas party when she announced it. Thankfully no one else was in the building except their little company.

Everyone reported bright and early and started with good joy and cheer. The various offices that littered their floor were abuzz with chatter and the two large rooms at the end for the handmade stuff were brightly lit as various employees and interns chiseled, molded, and built. One or two were even working on some last minute Christmas gifts after promising to show the finished project and taking a picture with who it was given to. That was the good thing about Tsunade's company as it was smaller compared to the larger companies, but just as well off and it allowed a closer relationship with the employees.

By the time they were shutting everything down and cleaning up, the two side projects were finished and put on for everyone to see, and the start up for the Hyuuga project and two smaller clients were in place. As a final treat, Naruto and Sai treated everyone to lunch at one of the nearby restaurants before they all separated on their way home calling out final greetings of "Merry Christmas!"

***

As a result of getting out of work early, he managed to get home without being crammed in the bus like sardines in a can. He even stopped to pick up some fresh ramen noodles. He wanted to indulge a bit tonight. But what surprised him when he arrived at his apartment was seeing his three cousins sitting on the stairs with a duffle bag apiece. He hadn't gotten the memo saying they would show up…or did he forget about it? Nope, that wasn't possible.

"Hey," he said as he opened the door, ushering them in. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you have work tomorrow?" asked Gaara.

"Nope. Nothing until Monday," Naruto declared cheerfully. "By the way, how long have you guys been waiting?"

"Not long chibi," called out Temari as she ruffled the younger blond's hair. "But come on, pack for the weekend, we're going somewhere."

Naruto just looked on in surprise. "Going somewhere?" The confusion was very obvious in his voice. Seeing as he wasn't going heading over to his room, Temari looked over her shoulder as she went to his room and started throwing in some outfits and some heavy winter gear, where they were going needed it.

"Hey brat," Kankuro caught his attention. "Who's all these presents from?"

He answered unthinkingly, still slightly caught up with his cousins. "Dunno. They just show up here. There's been one everyday so far."

"…seven, eight, nine, ten. So you've gotten the one for today then too."

That snapped the blonde out of his stupor. "Another one? But it's the middle of the day! I normally don't see it until night time."

Grabbing the card out of his older cousin's hand, he read the inside.

_On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…_

_A trip up the mountain, and through the hills_

_In the distance, warmth and lights surround the heart._

***

In short order, Naruto was bundled in slightly warmer clothing and hustled out of his apartment and onto one bus after another. It was near three when they left the city and by now it was dark and sometime during the rides, it had started to snow. They were the only four people on the bus aside from the bus driver. Naruto didn't even know that there was a bus out this far.

"Last stop!" the man upfront called out.

The four trooped out and Naruto stared at nothing. Aside from the small bus stop, there was next to nothing here.

"Where are we? Better yet, where are we going?" He asked as he turned to look at each of his cousins. But they didn't answer. They started walking towards the lone car in the empty parking lot of an abandoned gas station.

Kankuro knocked on the driver side window and it rolled down. A few words were exchanged before the car started up and Naruto was shoved inside followed by his cousins. The inside of the car stopped any complaints or questions for a while. Before he could even speak, he was stopped. "You'll see where we're going in a bit. As it is, we're going to be a bit late."

***

Half an hour later found them driving up towards a brightly light manor tucked in the valleys. It was so remote, that there was not another living being within a ten mile stretch on either side. The manor was decorated with Christmas lights and wreaths and whatever else the rich decorated their house with.

At the front door, they stopped and exited the car before it took off around the corner. They stared for a bit and Gaara walked towards the front door and rang the door bell. It was open by a butler! And he was handed an envelope which he read before allowing them inside. They passed the foyer and once into the living room, they caught the attention of the mistress of the house as the other guests quieted at their entry. Murmurs of "impossible" and "Namikaze?" and "But I thought he…" spread through the crowd. A lady rushed at the blonde…well if ladies rush anyways…and enveloped him in a giant hug. She pulled back, but kept her arms attached to his sides.

"It's so good to see you Naruto. You've grown into a fine man."

The blonde blushed at the attention and stuttered, right hand going to scratch the back of his head in nervousness, "Ah…um…thank you, uhm…"

"I'm Uchiha Mikoto. You received my e-mail correct."

The blonde nodded.

"Well then, dinner will be served in about half an hour, we postponed it when we received Gaara-kun's message. Haruka-san will lead you to your rooms and you can freshen up.

***

Dinner was an odd affair for the blonde, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. Apparently many of the people knew his folks from their various social circles. The blonde went to bed oddly confused and fuzzily warm. It was only when he rummaged through his clothes did he find a note tucked into the folds his sleeping pants.

_Occasions like this warm the soul. Soon Naruto-kun._

***

_A young child ran around the outside of a large manor in the falling snow. A boy who looked a few years older watched on, a hidden smile on his face._

_The child came running up to him "Ne ---kun, can we sing my favoritest song today, but only up to the part about the jumping lords."_

"_Sure Naru-chan. Let me call Kaa-san and otouto so we can all sing together."_

_The young man turned around but was stopped by the hand on his sleeve._

_The blonde child shook his head. "I wanna sing with ---kun only."_

_He nodded and stood behind the child, "Ready Naru-chan."_

_The blonde nodded quickly, and they sang... _

"_On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…"_

_

* * *

_Well now, our blonde meets the Uchihas or rather just Mikoto for now. And we get introduced to the Sabakus and a slice of Christmas past.

As to how he got that note in his sleeping pants...I'll just leave you guessing. :)

Ta ta for now.

Onto the next Chapter!


	11. Day 11 : Mornings, Snow, and Coupons

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!!

Presenting Day 11. Read and enjoy!

* * *

Naruto awoke to a slate color sky. The clouds looked heavy with snow. Even then, the view outside of his room's window was wonderful; Snow-covered pines backed by the high mountains, off in the distance, just barely seen, was a frozen lake reflecting the miniscule amounts of sunlight that filtered through. There was a rare flash of color in the forests as a bird or two flew by to their nest or resting branch.

After freshening up, he headed downstairs to hopefully grab some food to eat. There he ran into Mikoto who was drinking her second cup of coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Good morning Uchiha-san," he greeting.

"Good morning Naruto-kun. Mikoto is fine, after all this is the Uchiha household. The rest of them will show up by Christmas Dinner if not earlier."

The blonde nodded.

"Help yourself to any of the food. We're leaving it buffet style for breakfast to lunch. After that dinner will be served at seven again tonight. I believe a few more people will be showing up later today."

The blonde nodded to show he was listening as he filled his plate with food and poured himself a cup of orange juice.

***

He decided to go explore the grounds instead as tomorrow would be Christmas day and since he would be staying another night; he could help around the kitchen. He had already asked Mikoto-san and as politely as possible shot down all refusals.

He knew that Gaara was awake since at least the crack of dawn since he was an insomniac and could rarely sleep past dawn even with late nights. His cousin had turned to meditation as a way to relax and could be found outside no matter what season it was. Knowing his cousin, he started towards the lake on the far side of the property. If that failed, Naruto had asked the master groundskeeper for a simple map and had the hand drawn map in a side pocket of his new jacket. It was so much warmer with that. He'd have to ask his gift giver where he found it.

The blonde ended up wandering into the forest to look for his red-headed cousin. Following a barely marked path, he listened to the reflective silence of the forest as he looked around for any sign of life. It seemed like the earth was holding its breath until given the sign. By pure chance, he happened on a small waterfall and nearly tripped on his cousin in the process as he was too busy looking around it and at the rare winter flowers along the banks.

"Eh hehehe... Hi Gaara!" His hand already drifting to the back of his head.

***

The blonde managed to calm his easily irritable cousin and after much nagging, I mean, whining got him to agree to go ice skating with him. The agreement was probably to shut him up because red-head had forgotten that back in Arizona, he didn't ice skate. Better yet, he didn't know how. So the minute he stood on the ice and moved, he found himself on his back with his breath knocked out of him. To the side was his cousin laughing his ass off having watched him flail and fall.

Fifteen minutes later and four falls later found him to the center of laughter by his siblings and his cousin. He got up once more and managed to slide about five feet towards his cousin and slipped again! But this time he was close enough to his unsuspecting laughing blonde cousin that he pulled Naruto down too.

"I'm done," he stated as he slowly got up and slid the three feet to the edge of the lake.

His older sister laughed a bit more and helped him stand up. His legs were feeling odd.

"And you were doing so well," Kankuro chortled.

Changing out of his skates into his wool lined boots, he slowly rolled up a snowball and when his brother turned to him, Gaara chucked it harshly at his face. That started a snowball fight of the utmost proportions before one of them – Naruto – hit the approaching Neji, who was invited as well, in the face with a misguided snowball.

***

When the snow was all brushed off his face, Neji found three fingers pointing towards the blonde and one at a young man clad in a black parka.

"Naruto," was all he said.

"Hi Neji! Didn't know you knew Uchiha-san."

"My uncle is an old business partner. We've know the Uchiha family since childhood. But that's beside the point. Mikoto-san asked me to tell you four that dinner will be served in an hour." And the brunette turned to leave. His long hair seemed to swirled with annoyance of having been pelted with snow.

"Wait NEJI!!" the blonde cried out.

***

Dinner was a better affair tonight than it was yesterday as Naruto knew more people. He had met both Hyuuga Hiashi and Hizashi once before and Neji and Hinata were there as well. And there was no business talk at all since Mikoto-san had banned it from the dinner table until coffee time, at which the adjourned to the nearby lounge for coffee, tea, hot chocolate or spiced cider.

Naruto was introducing his cousins to the two Hyuuga cousins and it seemed the stoic duo mananged to fine something in common as they sat communicating silently as was their way. Part way through the night, Naruto excused himself since he had to wake early to help out in the kitchens. He bade good night to those still there and found Hinata following him. In her hands was an envelope and the writing was oddly familiar.

"H-here Naruto," she pressed it into his hands. "I was told to give this to you. W-who it's from, I can't tell you. Good night," she gave a small bow and turned to re-enter the lounge.

He looked at the envelope he held in his hands and entered his room before opening it. There was the usual Christmas card and this time there was a little booklet of…coupons – handmade coupons by the looks of it. The first one was simple - free homemade ramen. The next was about the same, but for a massage, others followed along the same thread. Then at the very end was a slightly more elaborate coupon. Wrapped in its own envelope was a ticket to a show for tomorrow afternoon and a note saying that if he was curious to who his mysterious gift giver was, to attend. The blond wasn't sure what to think, but he also found a dark subtly pinstriped navy suit lying out on the bed with a note, _if you decide to go._

***

_There was a blonde child holding the hands of an older boy. They were following a barely marked trail, exploring the surrounding forest. The blonde had never gone into it during the winter and was curious. Blue eyes were excitedly darting around and when they caught some flash of color, like the cardinal, he would point excitedly and dash off. That was until the brunette grabbed hold of his hand._

"_Naru-chan, you can't go off like that. What would I do if you got hurt or lost?"_

_Young Naruto just looked up into the dark eyes and gave him a blinding smile. "Nothin' gonna happen. 'Cuz ---kun protects me."_

_Dark eyes softened at the blonde's words. He gave Naruto a quick hug and murmured into his fluffy hair, "Love you Naru-chan."_

_The blond hugged him back tightly and proclaimed to all that could hear, "I love you too ---."_

_They continued on their nature walk as music fell from their lips and seemed to surround them. "On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me…"_

* * *

Happy Christmas Eve!!

And for those who have been following my little fic here, I'm officially caught up!! *jumps around in joy* Three chapters in one day...how well written I'll leave that for my dear readers to decide.

More to the childhood of Naruto is revealed...a bit anyways. Next chapter is arguing the fine points out with Itachi, Naruto, and my muses.

A big thanks to those who've reviewed as that inspired me to sit and write, so THANK YOU!

I hope you've enjoyed this and enjoy tomorrow!

Christmas Day in 20 minutes (PST).


	12. Day 12 : It was you!

Without any further ado, I present the final chapter in Twelve Days.

* * *

Naruto woke early the next morning and went through with the usual motions of getting ready before he went downstairs and joined the kitchen chefs. His mind was not on his tasks at all, but had still managed to work passably. By noon, he still hadn't decided on whether or not to accept the shadow's offer of finding out who he was. He only had another hour and a half before he had to leave or he would be late. He didn't know what to do.

After lunch, he sought out Hinata's company to pester her some more about how she got the envelope. But even then the girl was oddly stubborn about the fact, though she did reveal that she did know him.

Later, deciding he needed an outside opinion, he sought out Mikoto-san and found her in the third floor sewing room. She was surrounded by several bolts of fabric and had a few embroidery hoops lying around as she worked on her current project. For some reason, he felt comforted around her and chalked it up as her being a close friend of his mothers.

He knocked on the door and asked for a moment of her time, anxiously twisting his hands and shifting his weight as he looked for her response. She smiled and set down her work and patted the cushion of the window seat next to her. He walked up and told her what had been going on for the last eleven days.

She listened patiently and without a comment until he finished. Then did nothing more then ask "Do you not want to meet a friend who has your best interests at heart, even if he may be doing it in an odd fashion?" The blond thought that over before he excused himself and left the room.

***

The medium sized theater currently housed a troupe from France and also served as the locations movie theater. Currently it was showing some foreign film with subtitles. But Naruto didn't care for that. Even in one of the best seats of the house, he was wriggling around looking for a familiar face in a sea of unfamiliar ones. But soon even the few in the box he was sitting in started to stare and he settled down, finally paying attention to the performance.

As the play started to climax, he was approached by one of the nicely dressed attendants.

"Uzumaki-san," she said, looking oddly anxious.

Naruto dressed in the snappy pinstriped suit turned to look at her, a question written on his face. "Yes," he looked at her name tag. "Kurokawa-san."

She looked around before handing him an envelope. There was nothing on it to make it look special. For anyone looking around, it looked like she was either propositioning him or giving him a gift. The few unrighteous guests in the box were already staring, their minds thinking of reporting her.

The blonde grinned at her, "Thank you Kurokawa-san for bringing this to me. Merry Christmas."

He slipped it into his pocket and pretended to pay attention to the show as his hand fiddled with it in his pocket. Naruto redoubled his somewhat subtle observation of the people, hoping to find a semi-familiar face.

***

Several more people arrived at the Uchiha Manor throughout the day, some with luggage and others without, but all carrying one gift or another. Those who were staying were lead to rooms by Haruka-san and others sought out people they knew to chat with. One guest in particular went about the rooms looking for the host.

"Good afternoon Mikoto. How have you been?"

The lovely mistress of the house looked up and found one of her old friends in the doorway dressed in a dark emerald green-turquoise wrap dress with a shawl dangling on her arm.

"Tsunade!" she called out as she set her book down and walked over to her friend. They did their usual hug and cheek kiss whenever they met before the blonde was dragged to an overstuffed chair next to her friend by the fireplace. The two sat and chatted for a bit as was their wont before Tsunade decided to broach the topic she arrived early to the manor for.

"Have you heard from Itachi recently?"

"Hmm…yes actually. Are you worried about his plans for young Naruto – who by the way seems to have grown into a fine man."

"He came to work early last week in a huff. Something your son has been doing is dragging up the memories my cousin would rather have forgotten."

"Are you sure of that Nade?" Mikoto looked over at her friend. "The boy has repressed those memories for so long. He's even forgotten the promise he made to my boy."

The blonde caught that last line and snapped it up. "You see. It's only for personal gain isn't it. That brat isn't doing anything to help Naruto. He's gone through-"

"That's enough Tsunade. Itachi has the best intentions in mind. The fact that he has told you is enough. This may be a hard way to do it, but since when has that little blonde run away from hardship." The unspoken 'unlike you' could be heard resonating between them. Tsunade's eyes narrowed then relaxed.

"That may be true…"

***

The envelope in his pocket seemed to burn a hole in his suit. The minute that show was over, he clapped and hurried out of the box and pulled out the envelope. Inside was a note.

_Naruto-kun,_

_I am assuming that you are interested in knowing who I am as you are at the theater. Once you step outside, there will be a car waiting for you to take you to the next destination. Look for the table with the Christmas card._

Naruto walked outside and found plenty of cars, but there was one who had the driver step out once he did and open the back door. He walked over towards it and looked at the man, hoping for a clue. The man nodded at the open door. "Uzumaki-sama, if you please."

He stepped in and the door closed.

He stepped out of the car and stood in front of a nice upscale restaurant after a good thirty minute drive. Naruto entered the double glass doors and was stopped by the maître d' who asked for his reservation. In his hand, he fiddled with the envelope and note. He told the man, his party was here, but he didn't know the name.

"Are you, perhaps, Namikaze-san?" the elder man asked.

The blonde flinched imperceptible and nodded. It had been the longest time since he went by his father's surname. His mother's drew less attention to him since their death.

"If you will head towards the rooms located on the side, your guest is waiting there."

Naruto thanked the man and walked off, puzzlement and hesitation in the body. Thankfully none of the waiters questioned him.

The blonde walked passed each room and looked inside briefly before ducking back out. On the sixth room, he found the Christmas card at the edge of a table, though he couldn't see the man. The table was in a little alcove with the wall hiding where the person was sitting. He walked towards the card and without looking at the man, picked it up and opened it.

"On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…" he read out loud before a familiar voice spoke out.

"Merry Christmas Naru-chan."

***I should end this here and leave it be…***

Itachi watched the blonde from afar at the theater. He was there until midway after intermission and left the family box and signaled one of the attendants. He gave her the envelope and directed her to the blonde man before he left the building, calling for his driver.

Once at the restaurant, he headed to the back office and finished off some paperwork before calling in his maître d' and giving him specific instructions in regards to a young blond man who would arrive in half an hour dressed in a dark navy pinstriped suit. At the same time, he arranged for a light dinner and drinks and dismissed the man.

Christmas card in hand, he went off to one of the rooms and picked the alcove table and sat with the patience of a waiting hunter for his prey.

***

Naruto looked up at his Secret Santa.

"Itachi…" the man blinked. "Uchiha-san, you're…you have…"

"Have a seat Naruto. We have some time. Mother's dinner parties of this size last a while and with how remote we are, dinner won't be until eight at least."

The blonde still didn't understand, but knew somehow that he once knew Itachi quite well.

"What do you remember of the Christmases of old?"

The blonde grimaced. "There's nothing worth remembering. Parents were always too busy or just too tired to do anything."

"I don't mean the ones after your family moved away. But those much older, when you were a child."

Naruto stared, eyes seeing nothing. "Snow, fire, the songs, and someone who I loved very much. I just remember singing the Twelve days of Christmas with him and making him smile for me. Those were the best presents since he never smiled much…but I can't remember his name."

"That winter your parents passed away, you were with us. I was so busy and you wanted to go out into the snow and play. I had told you I would go with you in an hour. And an hour and a half later, when I went to look for you, you weren't in the house. No one had seen you for nearly an hour. We searched for you for hours. It had started to snow and if we didn't find you soon…" he drifted off; his dark eyes were staring straight at his shocked blue ones.

"I finally remembered the riverfall that we had found over the summer when you visited. There was a small cave, just big enough for you to crawl through. When I there, there you were, curled up as tight as you can but still covered in the falling snow. You were so cold. We got you back to the house and threw so many blankets over you and lit the fire. The room was sweltering. But you didn't wake up at all. The doctor said you were hypothermic approaching stage three.

"When you finally awoke, you were in a hospital. We had you moved once the snow cleared. But before then, your parents were in the car crash and you were alone in the world. Social services wouldn't let us take you since you were injured under our care and they couldn't find anyone else who was in the country to take care of you. You were let into the foster system and we couldn't find you again."

"It was you. You're the boy."

Itachi nodded and stood. "Let's go otherwise we'll be late for Mother's dinner and she'll have my hide."

***

Naruto didn't know what to do about Itachi. He remembered much more now that he was told about it. But that promise he made to him…would he be keeping it? He wasn't the child he was and would have grown into. He looked up at the moon and let its soft light wash over him…but it wasn't' going to give him any answers.

He didn't hear the crunch of footsteps in the snow until the voice was behind him and arms wrapped around him. Naruto stiffened and relaxed. It was familiar in his mind, though consciously he rebelled. He pushed away, his mind overruling and turned to face him. The moon washed away the pale tan and left his face glowing, his dark eyes shadowed but glinting with emotion. He didn't know how, but lips were suddenly pressed onto his and he leaned in, eyes closing.

"My promise. Let us see where this goes Naruto. If nothing, we'll just be reacquainting our friendship."

Naruto stared at Itachi, his mind remembering the joy they used to share. He nodded and went back into the man's arms. "It's cold out here."

They stood looking at the stars and moon above the forest tops with warmth and light at their backs. Music drifted out of the open doorway, letting out some of the heat in the house.

"On the first day of Christmas my true love gave me…"

"Merry Christmas."

* * *

Wow. Twelve chapters within the span of twelve days. It's the first time I've tried doing that...and I don't think I want to do that again. Maybe I'll keep it at one a week or along those line. But it was fun. I just never realized how much dilly dallying and things popping up take of time. I may not have kept with my "chapter a day" idea, but I finished!

This chapter, I had it started when I couldn't sleep until near dawn, and started working when I woke up in the afternoon. I ended up not know where to go with this other than - Naruto finds out Itachi is the one who was giving him the presents. So tell me how you thought this turned out. :D

A big shoutout to my reviewers who gave me the inspiration to continue working : **-Nightly Halo-**, **Caithdean**, **kickasslazyness**, **carrie2sky**, **byeondthecrystalsea**, **FallenPie**, **moonray9**, **Jixnce**, **bluecrystal angel**, **Clow Angel**, **Lady Dragon**, and last but not least **Stargazer**.

And here ends a Twelve Days.

Merry Christmas everyone! and a Happy New Years too!


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